a. All new employees and all promoted employees shall be appointed or promoted subject to a probation period. The length of the probation period shall be established at time of appointment or promotion consistent with personnel policies but shall be a period no shorter than six months nor longer than two years; provided, in any case the department head with the approval of the personnel director may extend the probationary period for not to exceed an additional six months if the department head finds it is necessary to fully evaluate the employee's suitability for the position.

b. Any employee serving a probationary period, excluding a probationary period being served by a promoted employee, is an at-will employee and such employee may be discharged or removed at any time with or without cause. A promoted employee who fails his/her probationary period may be returned to his/her former position or to a position in his/her former classification if such a position is available.

c. The adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter shall not change the probationary status of current probationary employees and they each shall remain probationary without loss of service time accrued toward regular employee status. All employees who elect to continue in city employment after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter shall be subject to all terms and conditions of this chapter. Persons filling any of the categories listed in Section 2.45.030(1) of this chapter (except elected officials) who continue to provide services to or for the city after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter shall serve at the will of the city manager or his/her designee and shall have no right to continued employment by the city, except as may be specifically provided for by statute or by contract. (Ord. M-2850 §§9, 11, 1989)